Campaign with even focus on melee and ranged weapons?

[The Colonel]

As an example, you will recall Mr Dumas' heros ... part of an elite firearms unit, but best known as swordsmen.

[Skotodes]

As pi weapons, guns do reduced damage to limbs. Cutting damage to limbs isn't reduced. If the melee characters have cutting weapons (knives, cutting rapiers, sabers, cutlasses, etc.), they can target limbs and extremities more effectively than gunmen can. So give the enemies substantial torso and head armor, but nothing on the limbs. The gunmen's range will still help, but in close combat the swordsman have options that the gunmen don't.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by jackbosha

So, I'm working on a sort of steampunky campaign with a pretty even focus on melee weapons (mostly fencing swords) and ranged weapons, but i've run into a problem: DR. If i have a party of a few players, some who primarily use melee weapons and some who primarily use firearms, I have no idea what equipment to give their foes. Any DR low enough that weapons like fencing swords (that do about 1d imp damage if ST is around 12 or 13) could have any effect at all would enable firearm using players to blow foes away with ridiculous ease. Any DR high enough to offer decent protection from firearms would make the wearer virtually invulnerable to damage from swords.

How do I make this campaign challenging?

Steampunk? I'm assuming TL 5, then.



My advice is create a society in which melee weapons and sword duels are pefectly legal - but guns are restricted to certain classes: soldiers, maybe aristocratic hunters, etc.

Of course, criminals will use guns, even if they have to make their own. Cheap pot-iron zip guns that occasionaly blow up in your hand might be common. Of course, well-equipped crooks will have stolen military rifles, handguns,etc.

EDIT- A possible expansion for the legal duelling idea: the law allows for the hiring of champions. This has led to the rise of a class of professional swordsmen that handle 'affairs of honor.' These guys fight for real, to first blood and occasionaly to the death. Because of that, they are trained in serious swordsmanship, not just the 'sport form' stuff.

[SuedodeuS]

One option to make melee competitive is breastplates. They protect well against attacks to the front, but leave one exposed from behind. Thus, at melee range, it is possible to maneuver behind the enemy and attack where he is unarmored. Note this will require somewhat-cinematic swordsmen - but if you want melee competitive, you generally have to do that anyway.

Another option is to take advantage of the fact your setting is steampunk, so you can introduce exotic clockwork weapons. One class would be impact weapons. These are basically retractable blades/spikes that are deployed at high speeed by clockwork gears, springs, and maybe some air pressure. The mechanisms give it more punch than the character could muster, and they are activated upon striking. My favorite is the clockwork katar/pata. This is a gauntlet that, upon punching something, deploys a blade into the target. 3d imp or so for the initial deployment (in addition to the punch, although that is unlikely to get through armor) might be appropriate. Thereafter the weapon can be used as a typical katar or pata (GURPS Large Katar). Another example would be a clockwork warhammer. In this case, you have something like a maul/sledgehammer that deploys a spike upon impact.
A second class would be, well, vibroweapons. Using clockwork mechanisms in the hilt, they make the blade vibrate at high speed for short periods of time. Cutting and impaling vibroweapons have a (3) armor divisor and gain +1d6 to any cutting damage. Scaling this (from UT) down due to the fact you're dealing with TL5^ or so would be appropriate.

[RyanW]

Keep in mind that shooting someone is very loud. Of course, a knife-fight isn't exactly silent, and a target might cry for help or scream in pain. However, knifing someone in a side alley is much more likely to go unnoticed than a gunshot.

Guns are usually the pinnacle of the weapons chart on the streets, so once a gun comes out the fight is either over or all-in. Somebody is very likely to wind up dead or dying. A fight with blades is more likely to end with non-fatal bloodshed. If it comes down to it, the local magistrate is likely to lay the blame on the party that escalated the confrontation.

You can also play with the tech, if it fits the setting (you did say steampunk, but there is a wide range of steampunk):

Spider-silk, Martian armorthread, spun ectoplasmic fiber, etc. might give good DR versus piercing attacks, but be pretty lousy against blades and crushing blows (think low-tech kevlar). Of course, these will likely be fairly expensive, meaning that guns will still rule the battlefield (no one can afford to equip a whole army with it).

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by RyanW

Keep in mind that shooting someone is very loud. Of course, a knife-fight isn't exactly silent, and a target might cry for help or scream in pain. However, knifing someone in a side alley is much more likely to go unnoticed than a gunshot.

Guns are usually the pinnacle of the weapons chart on the streets, so once a gun comes out the fight is either over or all-in. Somebody is very likely to wind up dead or dying. A fight with blades is more likely to end with non-fatal bloodshed. If it comes down to it, the local magistrate is likely to lay the blame on the party that escalated the confrontation.

You can also play with the tech, if it fits the setting (you did say steampunk, but there is a wide range of steampunk):

Spider-silk, Martian armorthread, spun ectoplasmic fiber, etc. might give good DR versus piercing attacks, but be pretty lousy against blades and crushing blows (think low-tech kevlar). Of course, these will likely be fairly expensive, meaning that guns will still rule the battlefield (no one can afford to equip a whole army with it).

Protects against crushing blows?

Rock-hurling steam hand-catapults! :)

Vulnerable to blades? Flywheel powered buzzsaw blade throwers?

Steampunk tech may yield TL5+1 ranged weapons, too.

[David Johnston2]

Cinematic rule:

Never Bring A Gun To A Knife Fight

If someone with a gun shoots at someone who only has a blade, the blade guy has an extra +3 to his Dodge roll.

Here's another:

The Chuck Norris Manuever

There is no penalty to hit on any attack to disarm a gun toting character, and the disarm always succeeds.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Cinematic rule:

Never Bring A Gun To A Knife Fight

If someone with a gun shoots at someone who only has a blade, the blade guy has an extra +3 to his Dodge roll.

Is the OP trying to create a setting in which guns and swords have 'battlefield parity'', or just a setting in which skill with either may be useful? The former requires magic/miracle tech/cinematic rules, whereas the latter requires only a certain set of social rules and cultural factors.

[aesir23]

One of the easiest and most historically accurate ways to do this is by limiting repeating guns of all sorts.

If guns have a single shot and a minute long reload, everybody will want to have a melee weapon for back up no matter how effective armor is.

Alternately you can allow repeating pistols and rifles, but handwave some technological reason why this option is only available for smaller caliber rounds that do less damage, or are highly prone to malfunction and require a great deal of maintanance.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by aesir23

One of the easiest and most historically accurate ways to do this is by limiting repeating guns of all sorts.

If guns have a single shot and a minute long reload, everybody will want to have a melee weapon for back up no matter how effective armor is.

Alternately you can allow repeating pistols and rifles, but handwave some technological reason why this option is only available for smaller caliber rounds that do less damage, or are highly prone to malfunction and require a great deal of maintanance.

A minute to load, aim, and fire? Sure, if he using TL4 matchlocks. Otherwise, that's pretty darned slow.

TL5 flintlocks: no match, fewer steps, and the guns got a bit lighter/handier as the designs improved. Three rounds per minute seems to have been fairly normal for well-trained troops.

If he's using percussion-cap muzzle-loading rifles with paper cartridges and minie balls...:)